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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700520">Pull Me Closer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mx_Poogie/pseuds/Mx_Poogie'>Mx_Poogie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Relationships, Anxiety Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Miklan (Fire Emblem), Mild Blood, Past Abuse, Sort Of, nothing abusive between Felix and Sylvain only good stuff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:00:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mx_Poogie/pseuds/Mx_Poogie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A date of Sylvain's doesn't take it well when she learns that he doesn't do serious relationships. Felix finds him afterwards and patches him up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pull Me Closer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>”You’re such a piece of shit, Sylvain!” The girl spat her words in his face, her voice cracking with rage. ”What is wrong with you?”</p>
<p>”Whoa, there, Alicia”, Sylvain said, raising his arms to hold her back, as she was pushing uncomfortably close to him. ”Let’s not get carried away!” He flashed his most charming smile at her. ”It’s true that I could have stated my intentions, or, ah, lack thereof, more clearly, granted. I do apologize for that!” Alicia didn’t stop glaring at him, yet Sylvain couldn’t make his dumb mouth stop talking. ”But isn’t it a little unfair to blame this, ah, misunderstanding between us only on me? I mean, I never really lied to you, you just assumed -”</p>
<p>There was a sudden sting on his right cheek, and the edges of his vision went dark for a moment. Whoa. He hadn’t quite expected her small frame to pack such a punch.</p>
<p>”Ouch”, he hissed, trying blink the water from his eyes. Alicia, whom he was now holding at arms length, was still seething and spat in his face. As Sylvain instinctively closed his eyes and brought his hand up to wipe his face, she struck him again. He lifted both his arms to block her attempts at his face, so she aimed at his torso instead.</p>
<p>”AH - hey - stop it -”</p>
<p>Sylvain tried to grab hold of her arms, but she was quick and he was unprepared, and so she managed to sneak another hit to his face. ”Fuck you”, she growled at him as he felt his lip split. </p>
<p>Sylvain was surprised enough by her lucky hit that when Alicia followed up with a full-body shove, he actually lost his balance and fell to the ground.</p>
<p>A familiar tinge of fear made its way down his spine as he found himself on his back, an angry face looming over him. He did his best to suppress it, even as his hands seemingly lifted themselves to protect his face out of habit and his eyes scrunched themselves shut. ”Please don’t”, he whispered, half expecting Miklan’s heavy boot to make contact with his body, his brother’s dark laughter already echoing somewhere in the depths of his mind, only drowned out by his rapidly-beating heart.</p>
<p>Instead there was Alicia’s angry scoff and heavy breathing. ”Never come near me or my friends ever again”, she hissed, and spat on him once more for good measure.</p>
<p>For a moment Sylvain just lay there on his back, willing his heartbeat to slow back down, pressing a hand over his eyes that still felt threateningly wet.</p>
<p>”Fuck me”, he muttered to himself and grimaced as his lip and cheek protested any movement. He could feel a headache coming on. Great.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was late enough when Sylvain made it to the dormitories that no one else was in the hallway. Good - he might have died of mortification. He was feeling dizzy, however, and had to squat down midway to his room to lean against the wall and close his eyes, just for a moment. Just for a moment…</p>
<p>”Sylvain?”</p>
<p>He flinched at the voice and opened his eyes, unable to keep his stupid body from reacting even as he already knew that it was Felix who, of course, must have stayed late at the training grounds.</p>
<p>”Hey, Fe. How was training?” Sylvain grimaced internally at how slurred the words came out. He blinked, and suddenly Felix, who just now had been rather far away, was right there, squatting down in front of him, looking even frownier than usual. Sylvain blinked again.</p>
<p>”You look paler than usual”, his mouth remarked, unbidden. His hand, also without permission, tried to touch Felix’s cheek, but seemingly gave up halfway.</p>
<p>Felix took hold of his wrist before the hand could fall to the floor. ”What the fuck happened?” He sounded almost angry, definitely like he was biting his teeth together.</p>
<p>”Don’t worry about it”, Sylvain slurred. His lip stung.</p>
<p>It sounded like Felix was growling. ”Sylvain.” </p>
<p>”It’s nothing, okay?” He pushed himself up. Felix stood up with him, but didn’t  let go of his wrist.</p>
<p>”I’ll go get Mercedes.”</p>
<p>”No!” Sylvain’s voice, ever the traitor, sounded less angry and more scared than he intended. He wrenched his wrist out of Felix’s hold. ”Please don’t, Felix”, he begged. ”I don’t - I just - just, please don’t, okay?” He couldn’t look Felix in the eye but saw his jaw muscles flex as Felix grit his teeth.</p>
<p>”Sylvain. It’s not ’nothing’. Someone clearly mugged you. You need healing.”</p>
<p>Sylvain shook his head. Bad move, it made his headache worse. ”I don’t want it.”</p>
<p>There was a tense silence that had Sylvain preparing to dig his heels in, but then Felix sighed. ”You’re an idiot, you know that, right? Fine, then I’ll heal you myself. Come on, my room is closer.” He grabbed a hold of Sylvain’s sleeve and tugged him forward.</p>
<p>”You suck at healing”, he grumbled, but his body, used to trusting Felix, followed him automatically.</p>
<p>”Uh huh. It’s still better than nothing and you know that, so come on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>”Sit.” Felix guided him to the bed before closing the door behind them.</p>
<p>”Do I look that badly injured that you think I can’t even sit down on my own?” Sylvain aimed for levity but his words ended up sounding pained and stiff. A bit how his face was feeling.</p>
<p>”Yes”, Felix growled. ”Now shut up and let me take a look at your stupid face.”</p>
<p>Felix’s angry tone was in conflict with the gentle touch he used to turn Sylvain’s head toward the candlelight and the careful way he smoothed Sylvain’s hair out of the way to get a better look at his now swollen cheek.</p>
<p>Sylvain swallowed against the way Felix’s hands on his face made his heart lurch and his breath want to escape his lungs. He shuddered and closed his eyes.</p>
<p>With a small washcloth that he grabbed from his nightstand and dipped in his washbasin Felix carefully wiped all of the blood and spit off of Sylvain’s face. A touch to his split lip made Sylvain flinch.</p>
<p>”Sorry”, Felix murmured quietly, already putting the washcloth away.</p>
<p>”S’fine.” He swallowed again.</p>
<p>Felix took a deep breath and moved to stand closer to Sylvain - he was almost between Sylvain’s knees now, with Sylvain’s face angled upward in his hold. Another shudder ran through Sylvain.</p>
<p>”So… I do suck at this, so no complaints if it stings”, Felix said, his voice unusually soft. He seemed almost hesitant. Sylvain opened his eyes and met Felix’s gaze, concentrated, concerned.</p>
<p>”Just get on with it”, he rasped.</p>
<p>It was Felix’s turn to close his eyes, but Sylvain kept his open. Felix frowned, the adorable way he always did in class when he was trying to memorize a complicated magical formula or figure out a solution to a difficult tactics problem, and then his palms started glowing with warmth and light. </p>
<p>The relief that Felix’s healing brought made Sylvain groan quietly and finally close his eyes. He leaned his head to Felix’s hands and let out a long breath.</p>
<p>Felix was probably only able to keep up the healing spell for a few short moments but to Sylvain it felt like a short eternity. When he stopped, Sylvain let his head droop forward, against Felix’s stomach. He smelled clean - clearly he’d been to the sauna before coming back to the dormitories.</p>
<p>Felix’s hand rested hesitantly on the back of Sylvain’s head.</p>
<p>”Better?” His voice was barely above a whisper.</p>
<p>Sylvain breathed in another lungful of Felix before reluctantly leaning away. He didn’t want to be feeling this pathetically clingy. ”Yeah. Thanks.”</p>
<p>Felix took a step back and crossed his arms, still frowning. ”I don’t think I got it all. You still look like you lost a fight, just maybe a couple of days ago instead of tonight.”</p>
<p>Sylvain waved his hand dismissively and met Felix’s eyes. ”It’s much better. Seriously. Thank you. My headache’s almost gone and I can move my jaw again.” He smiled weakly.</p>
<p>Felix’s expression didn’t lighten up. ”I still want to know what happened.” </p>
<p>Sylvain looked at the wall. ”Why? It doesn’t matter anymore.” He shook his head and a bitter, unhappy smile rose to his lips. ”I was just being stupid and got what was coming to me. Same old.”</p>
<p>”Sylvain.”</p>
<p>”You’re repeating my name a lot tonight”, he quipped.</p>
<p>Felix growled again. ”Stop making light of it.” He huffed. From the corner of his eye Sylvain saw Felix turn his eyes to the floor. He was shifting his weight, flexing his jaw and fists. ”Who was it? Another student?” He spread his arms and turned himself toward Sylvain again. ”An angry brother? Some drunk at a bar?”</p>
<p>Sylvain, leaning on his knees, let his head drop into his hands and gripped his hair. Tightly. ”Why can’t you just drop it?”</p>
<p>”Because I want to know if my friend is trouble, Sylvain! You know that if I showed up looking like you did you’d be pestering me about it at least as much!”</p>
<p>It was Sylvain’s turn to growl in frustration. ”That’s different! This kind of shit happens to me all the time! If it was you, of course I’d be worried! You don’t generally make a habit of getting into trouble!” His jaw was starting to ache again from how hard he was gritting his teeth. He shot an angry look at Felix, who was looking no calmer than he felt.</p>
<p>”Are you fucking kidding me?” Felix hissed, stepping closer to the bed. Sylvain tensed. ”Last time you looked this bad outside of battle was when Miklan -”</p>
<p>”Don’t.” Sylvain stood up, feeling suddenly furious. He needed space. Felix, looking ashamed, holding his hands up, took a step back, towards the door, so Sylvain walked to the window and leaned his hands against the sill. His breathing was picking up. The memory of the panicked feeling he’d experienced earlier was trying to get a hold of him again. He shook his head, trying to force the feeling to dissipate.</p>
<p>He balled his hands into fists and leaned his head down against them. ”Fuck!”</p>
<p>Calming breaths. He’d done this many times before. Count to four. Exhale. Count to seven. Inhale.</p>
<p>”Sylvain. I’m sorry.” Felix’s voice was gruff.</p>
<p>A tight, hollow bark of laughter managed to escape Sylvain’s lungs. ”Don’t. I’m just. A fucking idiot.” He took a deep breath before straightening up and turning around.</p>
<p>Felix hadn’t moved any closer. He looked worried and uncertain. Sylvain didn’t like that. He himself felt so weak and small, childish, even. He didn’t want Felix to be feeling the same.</p>
<p>He let himself sit down on the floor. The bed was too far away. He was so tired.</p>
<p>”Are you… okay?”</p>
<p>Sylvain laughed again. ”Guess not.” He sighed and closed his eyes, wanting very much to just lean against Felix’s stomach again. The desire was so overwhelming that it brought a prickling feeling to his eyes and a lump to his throat, but he refused to cry. ”I’m sorry. You’re trying to help and I’m being a jackass.”</p>
<p>”I’m sorry for bringing up stupid shit.” Felix didn’t sound like he was feeling quite himself either.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>”Felix?”</p>
<p>”Yeah?”</p>
<p>Sylvain’s voice was very small. ”Could you - could you come over here?”</p>
<p>”’Course.” He was there in three strides, close enough for Sylvain to feel his warmth. He didn’t open his eyes. Instead, he let himself lean towards the warmth until his forehead rested against Felix’s thigh.</p>
<p>He felt Felix tense and then relax again almost immediately. His hand came to rest on Sylvain’s head, fingers carefully carding through his messy hair.</p>
<p>They had done something like this before. As kids, physical affection had been the best way to console Felix, who had been a sensitive and emotional child. Now, sometimes after a difficult battle was over and they were resting in their tents, one of them would wordlessly lean against the other, seeking contact and comfort. They didn’t talk about it, but it was definitely a thing.</p>
<p>Sylvain liked it.</p>
<p>”Sylvain. There’s sand in your hair.”</p>
<p>”Uh huh.”</p>
<p>”Why.” A beat. ”Did - did you fall - or…”</p>
<p>Fuck. But maybe he could do it like this, with no eye contact, Felix’s comforting touch right there. He swallowed.</p>
<p>”It’s embarrassing”, he mumbled into Felix’s thigh. ”I should’ve… It’s just stupid.”</p>
<p>Felix’s fingers didn’t stop moving. ”I think I already know how embarrassing you can be. Just tell me.”</p>
<p>”Okay.” He took a deep breath. ”It was a girl, okay?”</p>
<p>”What do you mean?” Sylvain could hear the frown in Felix’s voice.</p>
<p>Sylvain huffed. ”Like, a date, you know? She was upset with me, which kind of was my fault. We’d gone out a couple of times, she was nice enough, whatever. She expected it to be serious, wanted me to meet her parents and stuff.” He almost snorted. ”I mean, I never meant to give off that impression. And they usually know anyway, they just put up a show to save themselves the embarrassment, right?”</p>
<p>”Sure. But - ?” Felix scratched Sylvain’s scalp. He let himself lean more into Felix.</p>
<p>”But this one really was upset. Like, she really thought… And I just - I thought she was joking, and I laughed, and she got really angry. I explained the situation and apologized. It wasn’t my best apology, sure, so I sort of understand why she might’ve felt so upset. I was just not expecting…and so I laughed.”</p>
<p>”Okay. And?”</p>
<p>”And she slapped me! That’s not that unusual but she really got me good. Then she tried to do it again, and I tried to stop her, but she kept hitting me… Got me in the lip and the next thing I knew I was… on my back, on the ground.” Sylvain wanted to laugh but it came out more like a wheeze. Felix’s hand in his hair had stilled. His fingers were splayed, his hand pressing Sylvain face closer to his thigh. It was comforting.</p>
<p>”I think she spat on me and walked away, the usual.” He shuddered. ”I… Earlier, when you mentioned. Miklan.” His voice sounded foreign to his own ears and he felt like he might be floating away. Felix’s hold, which was getting tighter, was what kept him tethered to his body.</p>
<p>”Yeah? Sylvain?” Felix sounded worried, his voice was tight with something.</p>
<p>Right. Miklan. He needed to go on.</p>
<p>”I - it just reminded me. Of him. When she… For a moment.” He huffed out a strained breath. ” I know it’s stupid, I mean, this was just some girl, nothing like him.” Sylvain wanted to laugh but he couldn’t. He pressed his forehead harder against Felix. ”So when you said - it was just… a bad moment. Sorry.”</p>
<p>Felix was quiet for several slow breaths. Sylvain kept counting them. ”Okay. I’m sorry that I brought him up. I should know better.”</p>
<p>Sylvain shook his head. ”Not your fault.”</p>
<p>”But Sylvain. You know that that’s not okay, right?” Felix sounded almost angry.</p>
<p>”What?” He wanted to back away, stomach churning with something like shame, but Felix didn’t let him go.</p>
<p>”What she did, that’s not okay. She can’t just beat you up, even if you were being a womanizing jerk. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>Sylvain opened and closed his mouth wordlessly a couple of times. ”I… sure? I mean, I’m a lot stronger than she is…”</p>
<p>”And she still beat you up! You were clearly dizzy when I found you. You could have a fucking concussion. You were bleeding. Clearly she was strong enough, yes?”</p>
<p>”I’m…”</p>
<p>”Goddess, Sylvain”, Felix sighed and sat down in front of him, bringing their foreheads together. Sylvain swallowed at how intense Felix’s eyes were. ”Just trust me on this. She should be fined for what she did. At the very least.”</p>
<p>There was a lump in Sylvain’s throat. He closed his eyes and tried to shake his head, but Felix was holding his head still. Instead, he brought his head down, to the hollow of Felix’s throat.</p>
<p>”Felix… I don’t even like them. The girls.” His voice cracked a little. Why was he like this?</p>
<p>”I know”, Felix whispered into his hair. He brought his left hand to the back of Sylvain’s head. Sylvain took hold of his right hand, weaving their fingers together as tightly as he could.</p>
<p>They sat there for a long while in silence until Sylvain finally broke it.</p>
<p>”Thanks, Fe. For tolerating me.” He kept his yes closed and breathed in Felix’s scent.</p>
<p>Felix sigh was a warm puff on the top of his head. ”I like you, you moron. Okay?”</p>
<p>”Okay.”</p>
<p>”Don’t get hurt. I don’t like it.” The grip on the back of his head tightened a little.</p>
<p>”Okay, Felix.”</p>
<p>”I really want you to see Mercedes in the morning. We can say I beat you up while training.”</p>
<p>Sylvain rolled his eyes and huffed a sigh of his own. ”Fine.”</p>
<p>”Good.”</p>
<p>”…can I sleep here tonight?”</p>
<p>”…always.”</p>
<p>Sylvain could have sworn that he felt Felix plant a light kiss in his hair.</p>
<p>He didn’t mind at all. He felt safe.</p>
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